Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to portable garages and more particularly pertains to a new and improved portable motorcycle garage which may be pivotally opened for entry of vehicles therein and converted with attachable wheels and hitch member for mobility thereof.
Description of the Prior Art
The use of portable garages is well known in the prior art. To be appreciated, these devices have required a substantial amount of space and have normally been awkward and of dimensions resisting mobility. In this connection, there have been several attempts to develop portable garages which may be easy and efficiently utilized and relocated.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,679,254 to Green sets forth the concept of a permanent structure utilizing an overlying boom to support a shroud-like portion that may be applied and retracted from about the upper surface of an automobile. The Green reference provides no means of transport of this garage-like organization and furthermore security of the shrouded automobile is not provided. While a functional solution for storage during periods of user inactivity, the Green garage is not particularly adapted for easy transport where user thereof could easily transport my invention from one location to another.
Another example of a portable garage is set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 3,056,415 to Nimmo teaching the use of a collapsible tent structure utilizing a skeletonized frame work about which a tent-like member is secured. The Nimmo garage allows for collapsibility of the garage and transport thereof from one location to another but is not utilizable as a trailering means or a secure means for storage of vehicles therein.
Other examples of flexible, overlying structures for use with motor vehicles are set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 3,785,697 to Dabbs, U.S. Pat. No. 4,305,415 to Galli, U.S. Pat. No. 4,519,644 to Song. These examples typify use of flexible overlying structures with the inherent limitations of providing limited protection and safety of the vehicle and no provision of transporting the vehicle by means of the shelter itself. The problem therefore of transporting the vehicle to a new location is not addressed by these patents.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,277,621 to Merdich and U.S. Pat. No. 3,438,158 to Kane set forth the teaching of rigid automotive protective garage-like members or shelters. These shelters, however, are merely a providing of a rigid shelter in lieu of a flexible one, as evidenced by prior art structures noted above and do not address the problem of transportability of the vehicle itself.
Other countries have recognized and addressed the same problem with solutions illustrated in Russian patent No. 647,151, British patent No. 803,220, Norwegian patent No. 95,616 and German patent No. 698,153. These patents essentially are a cross-section of the U.S. approaches that have heretofore failed to fully address the problems of transportability, safety, and ease of use of portable garages as are becoming more necessary in our mobile society.
As such, it can be appreciated that there is a continuing need for a new and improved portable garage, and particularly a portable motorcycle garage, which addresses both the problems of storage, portability and safety, and in this respect, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.